beekeeper_sd

Don't hate making lip balms! They're my favorite bath and body item to make! Just keep trying. Try adding more flavor to the mix and, learn to love the natural beauty of beeswax! My biggest sell is the fact that I'm a beekeeper using beeswax and honey in my products. People love all natural products!!

I don't know where you are getting your beeswax but there must be something wrong with it if it has a bad taste to it. I use nothing but 100% yellow beeswax in my lip balms and they are wonderful. The only taste they have is the flavoring I add to them. I make an unflavored lip balm that has absolutely no taste to it. I would look into getting your beeswax from another source.

Print Shop is wonderful for paper applications, not so much for labels. I make all my brochures, letterhead, catalogs, business cards, etc. with Print Shop and those turn out beautiful. The nice thing about it is that, once you get one thing perfected, you can make any number of items by simply importing. The biggest problem I have found with Print Shop is that it is not completely compatible with other print programs. For instance, I have a Primera 400 label printer that I cannot get to print from Print Shop. I also use Avery label design (not sure of the correct name) to do a lot of my labels but there are a lot of things you can't do with that program. Like, I have never figured out how to "flip" an image. It's pretty limited in creativity, more of a cut and dried template-type applicatoin. I also use the software that came with my Primera to print those labels. It's a little more forgiving than Avery but still not as Print Shop. My biggest problem is that I created my own logo and name graphic so I have a lot of problem with it not "fitting" the mold of most graphic applications. (Make sense to anyone?) Basically, I don't think there is one software application that will work for everything. You'll just have to keep looking until you find one that works. Fortunately, software is not that expensive anymore so you can try a lot of different things. Good luck!

Sounds like great stuff. Did you still grease your mold?

Just add more coconut oil. I have changed my lip balm recipe several times by adjusting the oil and wax content. I'm usually trying to get it harder though (my husband doesn't like having it melt in his pocket)

I totally agree with you on this. I don't know what people think soap is made with but they certainly don't want to hear their soap has lye in it!

One thing you might think of when looking at recipes for different products it to find recipes that contained a lot of the same ingredients. For instance, my lotion bars, lotion and lip balms all contain a lot of the same oils and butters. That way I can use those same ingredients on several different products and don't have to buy all new ingredients for each.

Don't know about fading but I did make a blue soap one time using food coloring and, when you used it, it made the nicest blue bubbles!!!:embarasse

I think my label is the most important part of my packaging because, if the customer doesn't have your name in front of them when they get home, how are they going to re-order from you?

Looks good enough to eat! great job!!!

I read somewhere that if you apply printed rice paper to your candle, then dip in a clear wax, the wax paper will seemingly disappear, leaving the printing on the candle. I have wanted to try it but haven't yet. If you do this and find it works, let me know. GOOD LUCK

Try tying them to your awning legs. I have two metal folding shelves that are the same way. They are shorter than what I think you have but still very unstable. I just use small bungee cords and tie them to the awning legs on the top and bottom and that makes them very stable.

don't know what kind of wax you got but it doesn't sound like 100% beeswax because it is absolutely not hard and brittle. You can't even break up a block of beeswax with a hammer and chisel. I know, I've tried.

Thanks for all of your help! The reason I am so set on using beeswax is because that is the only kind of candles I make (I'm a beekeeper) and just love the cut and carve candles so wanted to try the two together. I guess I'll just have to experiment and see what I can come up with. If I get them to work and get any good looking candles, I'll post them.

Any idea what you could blend with? and, how much of each wax?

I did not know this! Thanks for the heads up. I don't make any claims in writing but I do tell customers that shea butter has some natural sunscreen properties. Maybe I will quit saying that totally!

I use shea butter in my lip balms and have read that shea butter has it's own natural sunscreen properties. I have tried to find out the spf factor of shea butter but can't seem to find anything. Anyone know anything about it?

Can you make cut and carve candles with 100% beeswax?

I get a lot of stuff from PaperMart. Their stuff is good quality, and usually cheaper than a lot of places I have ordered from but their shipping is outrageous. Try Specialty Bottle. That's where I get my tins from.

Did your soap trace before you put it in the mold? I used a LOT of chalky soap when I first started out. I found out I was not letting it trace before molding it. Never had any burn me though. I would suggest letting it cure a little longer and it should be okay.

Same experience here. Retailers don't give a crap about selling your products if they have nothing invested in it. I now sell do wholesale but never ask for a minimum. At first I had very small wholesale orders by not asking for a minimum but at least my products were out there to be seen. Another thing to watch out for, which I have been asked to do a number of times, is retailers that want to buy your products only to re-lablel them with their own labels. The first time I was asked to do this I thought maybe I was being dumb and naive not to since it still meant a sale for me. But, after thinking about how hard I have worked to get my products just how I want them, I realize I don't want someone else getting credit for my good products. Now I politely tell the prospective buyer that very thing and if they still buy from me okay, if not :neener:

The recipe I have calls for 1/2 oz. beeswax 3 oz. blonde shellac dry artist pigment Let me know if anyone tries this recipe as I have been wanting to try it myself, just haven't had time.

I always try new scents. My latest favorite is Sage and Citrus from Candles and Supplies.

You might try www.boxcoop.com They are custom boxes but relatively inexpensive I thought.

Candles and Supplies has a very good leather FO